Chromium is an important metal in industry, for example as additive in iron for stainless steel production.
Trivalent chromium (Cr3+) is required in trace amounts for sugar and lipid metabolism in humans and lack of Cr3+ may cause a disease called chromium deficiency. The hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) is however toxic and carcinogenic. The levels of chromium were generally low and more than 30% of the samples were below detection limit in the present survey.
There are no observations of regional or species difference in chromium levels.
